DotHack: MEMORY
by Kinsei
Summary: A player disappeared from the game several years ago. A new player has now appeared that seems to be the key to finding the missing player, only the new kid has no memory and can't log out. Can he restore his memory and find the missing player?
1. Prologue: Last Quest

{Sarius Tirran: Lv. 99 Blademaster/Wavemaster, A legend in the game, Sarius is looked up to by many people. Beyond the legend status, however, nobody really knows him that well.}  
  
Sarius returned to the Recorder for the third time that trip to the Theta Server. If NPC's could look tired of seeing someone, the Recorder would have looked that way. After saving, he headed back over to the item shop again to dump out all of the low level spells he had gotten in his last haul. As he was unloading it all, he heard a few players talking a short distance away.  
  
D-60: Have you heard?  
  
Gilgash: Yeah, I've heard.  
  
CardAce: The monster that can't be defeated. It's a big thing nowadays.  
  
D-60: I hear there's more than one.  
  
Gilgash: You're kidding!  
  
CardAce: No, it's true, I've heard it too.  
  
D-60: They say the toughest one's right here in Theta.  
  
CardAce: It was on the board for awhile, but it got deleted. I wrote it down though.  
  
Gilgash: What are the keywords?  
  
CardAce: I'm not telling. I'm sure I can get a pretty penny off of anyone with this info.  
  
Sarius had the shopkeeper count out the last few coins, pocketed them, then walked casually up to the trio of gossippers. He tapped one of them on the shoulder.  
  
CardAce: Huh? What do you... !?!  
  
Sarius Tirran: What's this about an undefeatable enemy?  
  
Gilgash: That's... you're... can't be!  
  
Sarius Tirran: I am. The name's Sarius, Sarius Tirran.  
  
D-60: We know who you are! You and your team are legendary!  
  
Gilgash: Going after the big prize this time?  
  
Sarius Tirran: Only if your friend wants to give me the keywords.  
  
The other two turned and stared glaringly at CardAce. He fidgeted for a moment, staring at his feet.  
  
CardAce: But... I wanted to...  
  
Sarius threw a large bag of gold down at the boy's feet.  
  
Sarius Tirran: Payment? That ought to be plenty.  
  
CardAce stared at the bag for a moment, speechless. He then began to babble random words, but Sarius caught what he needed to hear.  
  
CardAce: It's... jeez... Theta... can't believe... dang... Chosen... good Lord... Hopeless... I... I really can't... Nothingness...  
  
Sarius Tirran: Thank you, that will be all I require.  
  
Before any of them could act, Sarius swept past them back toward the Recorder... again. After saving for the fourth time, he stepped up to the Chaos Gate and brought up his player menu. He selected the Party command and browsed through his list of prospective partners. He murmurs to himself as he selects them.  
  
Sarius Tirran: Katal... Neo... Kantra... Aya. That should do.  
  
He sends the Flash Mail and within minutes, his four party members arrive. Aya appears first.  
  
{Naraya: Lv. 99 Wavemaster, Aya has been with Sarius since... since anyone can remember. They go on almost every quest together and it's more than obvious that they have a thing for each other. They do seem to bicker a lot though.}  
  
Naraya: Going on a quest? I swear. I know I'm the best wavemaster you've got, but every quest now?  
  
Sarius Tirran: It shows how much I care for you.  
  
Naraya: Oh stop it.  
  
Katal appears next.  
  
{Katal Blader: Lv. 75 Twin Blade, Katal has been playing for quite some time. Though he prefers playing alone, he's always willing to help out a friend. Sarius helped him when he was starting out, and he has since been a strong member of Sarius' team when called on.}  
  
Katal Blader: Did you need some help Sarius?  
  
Sarius Tirran: You weren't doing anything were you?  
  
Katal Blader: No. A big group today?  
  
Sarius Tirran: No, only five of us today.  
  
Katal Blader: That's good.  
  
Katal begins to practice with his blades. Each swing and arc like an intricate dance. Neo was next on the scene.  
  
{Neo: Lv. 90 Twinblade/Blademaster/Wavemaster, Neo is a known hacker, but he only cheats when neccessary or when he wants to see something interesting happen. Unfortunately, his computer often can't handle these hacking sessions and his character suffers for it. Whenever he's not hacking, however, his character is a valuable member in Sarius' team.}  
  
Neo: What's going on?  
  
Sarius Tirran: A new quest. You up for it?  
  
Neo: Hell yes! er... I mean... yes, of course.  
  
Sarius laughs. Neo begins fidgeting with his character data again. He adds a few spells, then sits down to watch Katal. Kantra arrives last.  
  
{Kantra Darkwell: Lv. 80 Twinblade, Kantra is an opportunist. He tends to stick to himself unless their's something in it for him. Sarius tends to draw lone wolves to him. Kantra is no exception. He saw how great he could benefit from hanging around Sarius, so he decided to help out when needed.}  
  
Kantra Darkwell: What do you have for me?  
  
Sarius Tirran: A new quest. You get 50% of the items. Deal?  
  
Kantra Darkwell: Deal. Are we going now?  
  
Sarius Tirran: Yeah. You done yet Katal?  
  
Katal moves around for just a few seconds more, then his movements draw to a close.  
  
Katal: I'm ready to go now.  
  
Sarius: Any of the rest of you need to warm up first?  
  
All: No.  
  
Neo: So what exactly is the quest today?  
  
Katal Blader: Yeah, you haven't told any of us yet.  
  
Sarius Tirran: We're going to go defeat the strongest of the undefeatable monsters.  
  
Naraya: Not that mess again.  
  
Sarius Tirran: Yes, that mess again. We've defeated all the other so-called "Undefeatable Monsters."  
  
Naraya: So go kill it yourself, don't drag us into it!  
  
Sarius Tirran: Who said I was dragging any of you in it!?! If you don't want to go, leave!  
  
Naraya: I just might!  
  
Sarius and Naraya glare at each other hatefully. Everyone else stands in silence as they watch the proceedings. They all know this happens at the beginning of a quest, but that Naraya always comes around eventually.  
  
Naraya: Alright! Fine, I'll go! Happy now!?!  
  
Sarius Tirran: Yes! Can we go now!?!  
  
Naraya: You're our fearless leader, you tell me.  
  
Sarius sighs and turns to the others. He shrugs and makes the universal motion for craziness with his hands pointing towards Aya. A few of them laugh softly so she won't hear.  
  
Sarius Tirran: Okay. Let's go.  
  
They all line up beside each other as Sarius steps up to the Chaos Gate.  
  
Sarius Tirran: You guys have saved right?  
  
They all groan. Everyone know's Sarius' obsession with saving.  
  
Sarius Tirran: Geez, I was just asking.  
  
He turns back toward the gate.  
  
Sarius Tirran: Keyword Entry.  
  
The gate shines and multiple bands of yellow light appear around it.  
  
Sarius Tirran: Theat Chosen Hopeless Nothingness.  
  
The bands move from around the Chaos Gate to over the players' heads. As the rings glide around their bodies, they disappear one by one until there is no one left at the gate. The golden light from the Chaos Gate slowly fades, leaving it a placid blue as it spins.  
  
**Theta Chosen Hopeless Nothingness**  
  
The characters appear in the new field. They immediately notice the glitches in the field. They gaze around, intruiged by the random data floating through the air and the shattered sky. Sarius draws his weapon and they all turn to him.  
  
Sarius Tirran: I don't like this. I'm surprised this area hasn't been sealed yet.  
  
Neo snickers at this. They've been in plenty of forbidden areas before. Between Sarius and Neo, there wasn't a protected area they couldn't get into.  
  
Sarius Tirran: Yeah, laugh all you want, but we're going to do what we came for and then leave. Understood?  
  
All: Yes.  
  
This was something new. Sarius normally ordered for them to split up, wipe the area clean of magic portals, then meet back at the entrance of the dungeon. They'd then clear the dungeon completely before leaving. Something must definitely be up for Sarius not to want to do the same here. They all pulled out Grunty Whistles and mounted up. They told their respective grunties to take them to the dungeon and took off, breezing past the magic portals they would have had to go through to get to the dungeon. Upon arrival, they dismounted and the grunties all gated out. They solemnly entered the dungeon. Again they noticed instances of detoriation in the area's programming. Patches of the walls and floor were missing, replaced with bare binary code. Sarius turned to Neo. Neo shrugged. He couldn't see what was doing this to the area. Sarius had a really bad feeling about that. Neither he nor Neo could see what was causing this, and that bothered him a lot.  
  
Sarius Tirran: Katal.  
  
Katal Blader: Right.  
  
Katal rummaged through his bag and pulled out a Fairy Orb. He activated it. Five fairies emerged from the globe and flew off into the dungeon. Moments later they returned. They all merged into one, creating a map of light that fell into Katal's hands.  
  
Katal Blader: Okay, I know the way.  
  
Sarius Tirran: Shortest possible path.  
  
Katal Blader: Yeah, I've got it.  
  
Sarius Tirran: Good, let's go.  
  
They had little problem getting through the first floor. The enemies weren't all that tough at their levels. At the stairs to the next floor they stopped.  
  
Kantra Darkwell: That was easy. Shouldn't we clear out the dungeon completely?  
  
Sarius Tirran: If we have time at the end, we will. For now, let's focus on our objective.  
  
Kantra Darkwell: Fine.  
  
They moved onto the next floor. They repeated their strategy for the rest of the dungeon, finally arriving at the last room.  
  
Neo: I'm not getting anything from the next room. The map just... ends.  
  
Katal Blader: That's not a good sign.  
  
Sarius stared at the door. Something was coming from underneath it. A purple mist or flame. The rest of them saw it right after Sarius did.  
  
Aya: What's that?  
  
Sarius Tirran: I don't know. Alright. We go in. Be prepared for my orders as soon as we get in. No matter what happens, do as you're told.  
  
All: O... okay.  
  
One by one they entered the door. At first they were in a normal room, then there was an intense amount of white noise and the graphics glitched incoherently. The walls began to melt away and the floor began to crack and crumble away. They were left in a very strange area. One none of them had seen before. They all stared in awe.  
  
Katal Blader: What... what is this place?  
  
Neo: I don't know, but it's kinda creepy if you ask me.  
  
Kantra Darkwell: Nobody did ask you... but I agree. I really don't like this Sarius.  
  
A wave of multicolored energy appeared where one of the walls had been. A large stone creature appeared out of it, bearing a large red cross as his weapon. His body was segmented. There were several red eyes on his body with yin-yang type symbols as the pupils. A halo protruded from his head, though a chunk of it seemed to have been torn away. Sarius grimaced.  
  
Sarius Tirran: This is what we're looking for. Think sharp you guys. Aya, corner, healer. Neo, corner, guard and analyze. Kantra, Katal, with me. Now! Move!  
  
When he said "Move," they moved. Aya and Neo ran to a corner of the arena. Aya prepared to heal anyone who needed it while Neo stood watch over her, working his hacking skills trying to get any data he could on the monster before them. Katal and Kantra lined up behind Sarius, making a V-type formation. They charged straight at the enemy and set into him before he could do anything, but their blows seemed to be doing nothing to him. He also seemed to be able to dodge almost anything they threw at him, and those he didn't dodge, he blocked. Even so, they were getting multiple good hits in, but there was no change in the enemy.  
  
Sarius Tirran: Neo, what the hell is going on?  
  
Neo: I don't know! I can't scan this guy! It's like he's not here!  
  
Sarius Tirran: Dammit.  
  
They continued to fight, but it was a losing battle. Ever so often, Sarius would revive Kantra or Katal, but he was running low on supplies. They heard a shout from the corner.  
  
Neo: There! I can see it! It's here now, but I don't understand the data. Maybe if I modify some of it...  
  
The monster seemed to know what was going on, it flew straight for Neo.  
  
Sarius Tirran: Neo! Get out of there! Move NOW!  
  
Neo stood unmoving. He cried out to the others.  
  
Neo: I... I can't move. My computer... it's frozen! There's nothing I can... !!  
  
The monster thrust the long end of the cross through Neo's chest. Neo's character data fluctuated, then shattered. Sarius reached for his Resurrects, but when he went to use it, the system said there was no target to use it on. Neo had been deleted... permanently. The monster turned towards Aya. She stood there, dumbfounded.  
  
Aya: S-Sarius!  
  
Sarius Tirran: No! You bastard! Get away from her!  
  
Sarius cast random spells quickly, sending the monster into a hurricane of blows it was unable to dodge. Angered, it turned away from Naraya and went after Sarius.  
  
Sarius Tirran: Yeah, that's right. Come over here so I can kick your ass!  
  
Sarius pulled out a crystal shard from his bag of items. Kantra and Katal gasped. Sarius held the shard as he would the grip of a sword and thrust it into the air. Three more shards of various length appeared and joined together, creating the hilt and blade of the sword.  
  
Sarius Tirran: It's time I showed you what I'm truly capable of. It's time for you to die!  
  
{Quadcrystal Sword: Lv. 99 Blademaster Weapon, The rarest weapon in "The World." Only one was ever created and not even master hackers have been able to completely emulate it's properties. Not only does it give the user incredible magical abilities, it has no base stats. It's stats are determined by multiplying the user stats by four. These stats are then added to the player's stats, effectively increasing a player's stats to five times their normal.}  
  
Both Katal and Kantra had heard that Sarius posessed the Quadcrystal Sword, but they had never seen him use it. He had never had to, not until now. Sarius dashed madly at the monster, who was coming at him as well. They met, then passed each other. Sarius screeched to a halt. The monster stopped a little ways opposite of him. Sarius turned around, smiling.  
  
Sarius Tirran: You're dead.  
  
The monster's body split down the middle. Kantra smiled a sigh of relief as Katal thrust his fist in the air, smiling broadly. The smile was quickly removed. The monsters body began to move back together, his data rebuilding itself quickly. In seconds he was back together again. It turned back toward Sarius.  
  
Sarius Tirran: No... that... that can't be.  
  
Sarius' sword touched the ground, then he fell to his knees. The monster approached.  
  
Sarius Tirran: This can't be happening. What... what the hell is that thing!?!  
  
Katal Blader: Sarius, get away, it's coming!  
  
Sarius looked up bleakly. The monster was getting closer. He stared down at his sword.  
  
Sarius Tirran: This is it. I'm done, gameover. But...  
  
He glared at the monster with hatred and determination.  
  
Sarius Tirran: I won't let you take them with me. This is my fault. I'm to blame. I deserve the punishment!  
  
He jumped to his feet and whirled to Katal and Kantra.  
  
Sarius Tirran: Get Aya out of here! Now! I'll keep it busy!  
  
Katal Blader: But Sarius!  
  
Sarius Tirran: DO IT NOW!!  
  
Katal and Kantra jumped, then glanced at each other, nodded, and ran toward Aya. They gripped her shoulders and began to pull her away as she struggled.  
  
Naraya: No! No, we can't leave him!  
  
Kantra Darkwell: He told us to. Let's go.  
  
Naraya: I won't! I won't leave him!  
  
Katal Blader: We have to! He's not giving us any other choice!  
  
Naraya began to sob, tears streaming down her face. She struggled all the more to get out of their grasp, but they held her tight. Sarius began to walk calmly toward the monster. The monster stood still as he approached. When Sarius was right under it, he looked up into what he assumed were it's eyes. He spoke softly.  
  
Sarius Tirran: Do it. Whatever it is you do to the people who challenge you. Do it now, and leave them out of it. Do you understand? They're no threat to you.  
  
The monster looked up towards the other players, then silently looked back down at Sarius. He smashed his cross across Sarius quickly, and bits of his character data flew off into different directions. He then felt himself lose control of his body as he floated into the air. He could hear Naraya screaming behind him. The monster's cross left it's hand and appeared behind Sarius. Sarius arms flung out as his legs were drawn together. The monster raised it's left hand to the same level as Sarius' body. A bracelet of light appeared around the monster's wrist, then expanded. Sarius whispered to himself.  
  
Sarius Tirran: Crucified... just like Christ. I don't deserve such.  
  
Aya's tears splotched all over the ground as they fell from her face while she struggled against Katal and Kantra's holds. She cried uncontrollably and screamed over and over again.  
  
Naraya: No! You can't do this! You can't leave him! Look at what he's doing! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!  
  
Sarius Tirran: Aya... wait for me.  
  
Aya wailed again, more loudly than ever. Sarius body began to glow blue. The monster's bracelet stopped expanding and began to collapse toward the center of his hand. When it reached it's destination, millions of strands of data launched from it, skewering Sarius through his entire body. Aya let out one last scream, then the screen froze, and the game crashed. 


	2. Chapter 1: Awakening

{Sari: Lv. 5 Blademaster/Wavemaster, Sari is a new player in the world, but he's different from all other new players in several ways. Firstly, he doesn't remember ever logging into "The World" and can't log out due to error messages nobody's ever seen before. Second, he has no memory of his past. For all he knows, the game could be a reality. He claims he just woke up one day with his weapon in hand.}  
  
{Crimson Cross: Lv. 99 Blademaster/Wavemaster Weapon, Sari appeared in "The World" holding this item. Even though it has a rediculously high level, it really doesn't do much of anything for Sari's stats. It also has a habit of randomly creating things, such as items or enemies, out of the blue for no apparent reason. Somehow, it also allows Sari to travel to different areas without the use of a Chaos Gate, but Sari really doesn't understand how it lets him do this.}  
  
Sari awoke and glanced around blearily. He was in the church again. He always woke up in the church. Why? He didn't know. The church was where he had awoken when he first appeared in "The World." He got up and stretched briefly. The cross was lying on the floor. As he leaned down to pick it up, he realized what had awoken him: someone was calling his name.  
  
{Rhapsody: Lv. 10 Blademaster/Twinblade/Wavemaster, Rhapsody is a hacked character, but none of the admins want to try deleting her. Her pure insanity scares most people, but Sari can somehow stand it. It's a known fact that Rhapsody's player is, in fact, male, and delights in the fact that he has a skimpily-clad female character to play as. The player behind Rhapsody goes by the name of jrcoms, thus Sari's habit of calling him JR, if only to remind himself that Rhapsody is really a guy.}  
  
Rhapsody: Sari! I know you're in here!  
  
Sari ducked back down. He had just woken up... dealing with JR was too much right now.  
  
Rhapsody: Get out here right now, you lazyass!  
  
Sari sighed. He knew JR wouldn't go away until he came out, and what would happen if he made him wait too long may be worse than just coming out now. He slowly rose to his feet and pretended he had just woken up, which was pretty easy seeing as he just had. He turned to JR and rubbed sleep from his eyes. He yawned.  
  
Sari: What do you want JR?  
  
Rhapsody came bounding up and whacked him across the head with her fist. Sari cried out and rubbed the spot.  
  
Sari: What the hell was that for!?!  
  
Rhapsody: How many times have I told you NOT to call me JR? Huh? How many times?  
  
Sari began to count on his fingers, which earned him another blow. He laughed as he rubbed it.  
  
Sari: Too many times. I don't see what the problem is.  
  
Rhapsody: The problem is this: I want to be called Rhapsody, because that's who you're talking to. Get it?  
  
Sari: No. I'm talking to a pervert that enjoys drooling over his own character. Why should I refer to you by your character's name?  
  
Rhapsody made to hit him again, but didn't. She sighed.  
  
Rhapsody: Nevermind. It's not worth arguing with you about.  
  
Sari: Why'd you wake me up anyway? For that matter... how'd you know I'd be here?  
  
Rhapsody flashed an insane smile and winked at him.  
  
Rhapsody: A little birdie told me you were going to go rest. You always end up here when that happens.  
  
Sari winced at the wink he recieved.  
  
Sari: You know I don't like when you do that.  
  
Rhapsody: Do what?  
  
She was playing innocent. To further prove this, she whirled her back around to him, making her skirt fly up, exposing her panties for a brief moment.  
  
Sari: That! It makes people question they're sexuality when they know you're male.  
  
Rhapsody: Hahaha! Just think of it as the character, and not the player.  
  
Sari: I guess. I'm sure you do crap like that to please yourself, just as much as to arouse others.  
  
Rhapsody laughed some more, then turned back to Sari. Her skirt lifted again, but Sari tried very hard to ignore it this time.  
  
Sari: So why'd you come get me anyway?  
  
Rhapsody: There's a contest I thought you'd like to enter.  
  
Sari: Since when do you care about events?  
  
Rhapsody: Now that's not a nice thing to say.  
  
Rhapsody feigned a sad expression. Sari didn't fall for it.  
  
Sari: Yeah, sure. What's the event about?  
  
Rhapsody: A blade competition!  
  
Sari: Great, but I'm sure there'll be tons of high level players there that won't let people like us get very far.  
  
Rhapsody: Uh-uh. The prize is too small for them. It'll be mostly weak players.  
  
Sari: Like us.  
  
Rhapsody hit him again. Sari was sure this wasn't good for his head, but it hadn't effected him that much yet.  
  
Sari: Jeez. What's the prize then?  
  
Rhapsody: First place gets to choose any weapon or armor under Lv. 20. Second gets to choose any weapon or armor under Lv. 10.  
  
Sari reviewed his and Rhapsody's armor briefly.  
  
Sari: All mine's above 20 anyway. And the only reason your's isn't is because you wear stuff like... that.  
  
He pointed toward the skirt.  
  
Rhapsody: This?  
  
She lifted it away, and this time there wasn't anything Sari could do NOT to see her panties. She let it drop back down after awhile. She grinned evilly at Sari.  
  
Rhapsody: Yeah, but it gets reactions like your's just now.  
  
Sari fumbled for an answer, but, finding none, decided to change the subject.  
  
Sari: So why should I participate if I don't need to?  
  
Rhapsody: For one, your level is pathetic. You could use this chance to level up some.  
  
Sari: Yeah, I guess so.  
  
Rhapsody: Plus, you can enter to improve my chances of getting the armor I want.  
  
Sari: What armor is that?  
  
Sari regretted asking as soon as he finished saying it.  
  
Rhapsody: The infamous "Wet T-shirt Armor!"  
  
Sari: What the hell!?! I seriously want to know who's creating all this armor you keep going after.  
  
Rhapsody: So would I. I think he'd be an interesting guy to meet.  
  
Sari glared at him. Rhapsody's grin widened.  
  
Rhapsody: What?  
  
Sari: Nothing. Nevermind.  
  
Rhapsody: So? Let's go!  
  
Sari: Again, should I really help you get anything with "wet t-shirt" in it's name?  
  
Rhapsody: Of course you should!  
  
Sari: I figured you'd say that.  
  
Rhapsody: One thing though... you might want to get a different weapon. That thing doesn't do anything for you, but it's level alone could get you tons of trades, and even more cash.  
  
Sari: No way in hell. I wouldn't get rid of this thing for anything.  
  
Rhapsody: How do you expect to fight in a blade competition then?  
  
Sari moved with a speed that Rhapsody couldn't see coming. In seconds, the edge of the long end of the cross was pressed against Rhapsody's neck. Rhapsody swallowed nervously, which made her neck push onto the cross. When Sari pulled it away, there was a fine cut on Rhapsody's neck.  
  
Sari: Still think it's not a blade?  
  
Rhapsody punched him in the face, sending him sprawling onto the church's floor. She sprayed some healing potion onto the cut, then stood over him with her hands on her hips.  
  
Rhapsody: If you EVER do anything like that again... I'll have to... I don't know, kiss you or something!  
  
Sari: Oh! Please no! Anything but that!  
  
Rhapsody: Knowing you, you'd forget I was a guy if I did that. Maybe I should do that right now.  
  
Sari scrambled away frantically. A multicolored portal appeared in front of him.  
  
Sari: Heh. See you at the competition then JR!  
  
Without any other words, he jumped into the portal, which swallowed him up, then disappeared itself. Rhapsody was left in the room by herself.  
  
Rhapsody: That asshole! I'll show him!  
  
Rhapsody gated out as another player walked in. The player looked around, then sat in one of the church pews. Her long black hair fell around her face as she bowed her head. She prayed silently, then got up to leave. Someone else entered the church.  
  
Katal Blader: You still come here everyday?  
  
Naraya: It's been 5 years since the trouble with "The World" was resolved. All the coma victims woke up, but Sarius hasn't returned. I come here to pray that even if he doesn't return, that he be safe and happy wherever he is.  
  
Katal Blader: ...  
  
Naraya: So why did you come?  
  
Katal Blader: I was coming to check out a rumor. It doesn't matter though, the person I was looking for isn't here.  
  
Naraya: Then you'll be leaving now.  
  
Katal Blader: Yes.  
  
Naraya: I guess I'll see you later then.  
  
Katal Blader: Yeah. Later.  
  
Katal gates out. Naraya takes a last look around the church. She saves the address, Delta Hidden Forbidden Holy Ground, in her Word List Folder, then gates out herself. 


End file.
